Hungry Nights and Filling Sharks
by AllBlueChaser
Summary: A Sanji that survives nightmares and starvation reaches for his secret friend. FLUFF with a hint of angst. Light pre Zo/San in chp 1. Zeff and Sanji flashback in chp 2.
1. Hungry Nights

**Title:** Hungry Nights and Filling Sharks  
**Pairing:**Zoro/Sanji  
**Topic:**Toys  
**Words:** 300  
**Rating:**PG

Notes: Normally I'd post this story under Marimos and Eyebrows since this was written for Opyaoi100 too but since it won for the week and got awesome fanart (check my profile for link) I'm giving it it's very own entry.

* * *

The shark.

_The_ shark on the floor by the hammocks.

A stuffed toy shark about the size of his forearm, a gray belly, the rest faded blue markings with threadbare patches. Old, worn, well loved.

Zoro picked it up all the while knowing he wasn't supposed to know of its soft, but lumpy and slightly misshapen existence.

Luckily, Sanji was already sleeping peacefully.

They'd run into some pirates a few weeks prior. They hadn't been too tough but it proved to be enough distraction to sneak into the galley and pretty much steal everything. They had their asses beat by the time they had the sense to retreat but in the end they got away with the food without the crew noticing until later.

There hadn't been an island since and the fish they were catching wasn't nearly enough to feed nine. Sanji was making it stretch but he was also shorting himself on the small rations. The cook blamed himself and the more vocal cries of crewmates claiming they were starving weren't doing him any favors.

Zoro noticed.

He'd also been awake the night the cook's nightmares turned into terrors. The moans, thrashing, clutching at his stomach. He was about to wake him when Sanji gasped awake, insanity still shining in his eyes. Moments later, Sanji hopped out of the hammock and retrieved the shark from some secret place before returning.

"It's been a while, Sushi." A less fitful sleep quickly followed as he squeezed the worn fluff under his arm.

Zoro sighed as he placed the shark back in Sanji's arms. He'd normally give the cook shit for keeping a toy, but Sushi was a nakama Sanji wasn't afraid or embarrassed to cling to when he needed it.

In that way, Sushi was his place holder for now.


	2. Filling Shark

Zeff found the hidden stash. A bit of forgotten newspaper with scraps from lunch, dinner, from today and days before, crumpled under the hotel's mattress. Hoarding, just in case.

He had been woken up nightly to see the kid was having nightmares too, for weeks now. With another month before the Baratie's construction would be complete one thing was obvious.

The boy wasn't going to just shrug off the experience.

God knows he was trying...he watched Zeff cook with interest in the Hotel's kitchen but there was little in the way of conversation and the small blond would sometimes stare at the former pirate's missing leg.

The nightmares were getting worse.

The brat was suffering and in Zeff's opinion he had already suffered more than enough already.

The next day he found the kid at the market doing some of the shopping, came up behind him, and whacked him on top of his head with a brand new peg leg. It was shined so bright it was near blinding when the light hit the wood grain just so. The young cook cried out and grabbed at his head.

"OW! Shit! What the hell old man?!" His eyes widened in confusion on seeing the new leg. Zeff grinned down at it too.

"Yes. This will work out fine. Nice and sturdy. Hands are the most important thing to cook, but now I can kick the snot out of any lazy cooks in my galley."

As the small curly-browed boy took in the mans new leg, Zeff pulled the stuffed blue and gray shark from his bag.

"The man who crafted it also runs a toy shop, he was going to throw this guy away. Something about since it was all alone on the shelf it was too damn lonely to look at." He tossed the fluffy marine creature into Sanji's arms.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this thing?!"

"How am I supposed to know? You're a puny brat, right? Give it to some other brat if you don't want it! Throw it away, talk to it, make it into cotton sushi for all I care...."

For the first time since he met this kid he heard a childlike giggle and then another and Sanji was laughing while looking into the dark glassy shark eyes.

"Cotton Sushi?!" Sanji laughed as he thought about it and pushed the shark into his shopping bag.

Zeff grinned at the unexpected response but that was nothing compared to the smile when he almost walked in on the boy that night saying good night to "Sushi" and asking if he knew the way to All Blue. At the lack of response Sanji called him worthless and not even good fodder for his namesake before he snuggled into the comfort and slung an arm around him. He did make an excellent pillow, came a tired muffled response.

The older chef didn't bother patting himself on the back as he listened to the breathing even out into the first peaceful sleep he had ever heard from the boy. Moving might wake him...and he wouldn't disturb this moment for the world.

Under the covers a small blond cook clutched Sushi a little tighter. The ocean was beautiful and warm but his new friend was swimming through the wonders so fast Sanji worried he might accidentally fall off. He adjusted his grip and he couldn't help but smile. He wasn't alone.


End file.
